How To Deal With The Discouraging Feeling Of Being Overlooked.. And My Contribution To Solve The Problems!

in #steemit8 years ago

My previous post was definitely the best post I've written.

I even stated that in the post. The best post I have ever written. And it turned out to bring nothing more than average results. My average result.

I usually have results like these:


I have had some post with greater results too, but an estimation would be something like 40-50 votes and a few comments on every post I make. That's probably decent results compared to others on steemit.

Also note that I am not talking about the money. I talk about the amount of votes and comments. Upvotes & Comments are the reason I share things. I want to discuss things. I want to share things with people.. And I obviously want people to like what they read.

However, things aren't that easy on steemit.

Due to a discussion I had yesterday and because of a post I read, I'll shed some light upon this today..

Some people are discouraged when they get nothing at all.. MOST of these people feel left out. And most of them makes a handful of posts in attempts to gain something..

But if you can't get more than 1-2 upvotes on whatever post you make.. And you make 5 of these.. Then you'll end up leaving this place. It's unfortunate but it's the truth.

No one will ever continue to produce great content without getting any exposure at all.

Seriously.. It's like a slap in the face.

I can totally understand why most of these people will leave.

There's a huge difference between sharing content on steemit and on Facebook.

BLOG & EARN. The advertising trick to bring people to steemit. But it's also only half-true.. BLOG & HAVE A CHANCE TO EARN would be a better fit for this, but it doesn't gets the same attention does it?

  • That's why we'll still go with "Blog & Earn".

It's easier to bring people to steemit with that kind of marketing and more people is what we're trying to bring. We want millions of people here.

What I personally feel, is that whales should upvote this sort of content too. Not mine in particular as there are hundreds of better authors out there.. But by making posts like this trending, more and more people will understand the true meaning of steemit.

You don't come to steemit and make a million dollars overnight. - And 90% of the users here will not be an overnight success. - No matter how hard they try.


Being left out..

If you create amazing posts, one after another .. Day in day out.. And you never get attention..

  • What do you think will happen?

It's common sense. These people will utlimately have two options.

  • Leave steemit.
  • Continue to post.

We all know that most likely everyone would recommend to continue to post. Continue to produce good post and you'll have success sooner or later. I've said it myself too. Many times. Be consistent.

However, even if these people continue to publish new content.. The content will be of less quality the more they publish new posts without attention.

That's what happens everywhere.

If you are working in a grocery store and there are no customers.. You won't be sitting around in front of the cash register waiting for customers.

You'll do other things that has to be done. You'll clean the store, you'll do this and that.. But if there are no customers for the next 2-3 days.. What would you do..?

  • The answer is nothing.

You'll spend your time with your phone in your hand playing games or reading a book or a magazine.. You'll do literally anything you can to let time pass.. But you will not work. You will be AT work without doing any work.

And the same things applies here on steemit too unfortunately.

Without exposure you'll start to do other things. And even if you are eager and hard working so you continue to produce content.. You will still have that itchy feeling inside: "This won't bring me any results either"..

And that's when things gets serious.

That's why more and more poor content will be published..

The bad news for all of us.. is that bad content will make good content disappear even more.


I'll go back to the first sentence of this post.

My previous post was definitely the best post I've written.

I truly believe it was. I felt good about it. It was the best piece of article I've published on steemit.. But that was my personal thoughts. What I personally believed.

I have more than 100 followers and got 50+ upvotes. 50% of my followers voted on my content.. If all of the votes were from my followers that is. Which it probably wasn't.

I have followers shouldn't they upvote my content?

The short answer is no. Followers should never upvote your content automatically. That would mean that you could publish whatever garbage it is and gain from it.

Followers like any other users, dolphin or whale, should vote on content they feel like voting on.. And that's probably why I didn't get more votes on my previous post.

I thought it was the best article I ever published .. But perhaps they didn't think the same.

Another explanation for it would be: Perhaps they didn't even saw my post.


With that being said..

I have published posts for more than 4 weeks now. Every day. Some of them better than other ones.. And some of them truly awesome.. In my personal opinion.

And I'll be honest with you..

  • I know that I can't get good results from all of my posts.
  • I know that luck & timing plays a major role.
  • I know that people aren't online 24/7 reading posts.
  • I know.. I know.. I know.. I know..

Since I found steemit I've been online for about 15 hours per day. Reading, posting & talking. That will stop.

I will stop to publish content daily because of two reasons..

  • I can't spend between 1 and 4 hours writing articles each day without attention & exposure.

Hear me out before you judge me based on this sentence.
Rewards for me means more than dollars. Rewards for me means comments and likes (votes). That's rewarding! - Money comes in second place.

And yeah, I've had decent results based on my own standards. I already mentioned them above. But it's not enough for me. As a non-professional writer. As a person who started to write articles filled with personal stuff which I never done before.. I've come a long way in my journey.

I've developed my writing skills. And for that, I'm grateful.. But it's not enough. During the time I've developed my writing skills, during the time I've shared personal stuff.. And during the time I wrote the best article ever..

Something didn't change. I didn't get more attention. I didn't get better results. I've had more or less the same average results on all of my posts so far.

As the Freelancer I am, this is too much for me to handle. I understand that there's a learning curve, that you'll need luck and all of that.. But I don't have enough time to spend 2-3 hours writing one article. Not when I have 2-3 or even 4 articles to share each day.. Perhaps it would have been easier if I was native in English. If I was, I could've spent less time on my articles..

The second reason for my decision is this..

  • If I stop to publish new articles everyday, others will have an increased chance of getting exposure.

Well, I know that my posts probably doesn't take up too much in the flood of new posts being published.. But it's at least 1 spot.. 1 spot for each post I make.

If I stop creating multiple posts each day others can take that specific spot.. And who knows. Perhaps that spot will bring others some reward.

If others would do the same, we would increase the chances for all of us.

This is my contribution to Steemit.


Feel Free To Follow Me


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Have you tried commenting on other people's blog posts?

Thank you very much for your comment @stellabelle, I appreciate it. (I appreciate the upvote too obviously)

In fact, yes I have. I do comment on other people' posts but I'm guilty of being a slacker regarding that. I could do it much more often and I will, now when I won't create multiple posts per day myself. I know this is a good way to build followers, get exposure and increase your reputation on steemit, like it would be on whatever social media or internet forum you're on.

That being said, this isn't about not being satisfied. I'm truly satisfied with my experience and I'm happy that I've done so well. Compared to greater authors I'm still a "nobody" but for me, this has been a superb experience and I truly love steemit.

However, I cannot allow myself to fall into the same lions-nest again. I had awesome success in the beginning and I started to focus on the money. That made me doubt myself and my content.. I made it back up again in one piece and I never thought about the potential to make money. I made my posts because I wanted to share them, just like I did when I first started out.. But rewards means way more than money for me..

During the time my writing skills got a bit better and during the time I've shared personal things.. (which I never thought I would do..) the rewards never changed for the better. And yeah, that's a disappointment, but it's not the only reason I came to conclusion that I should stop making multiple post.

I don't have enough time to be on steemit for 15 hours per day. It just doesn't work. And I've been here for 15 hours for the past 4 weeks now.. And personally, it's for the better to make 1 post per day, or every two days.. Instead of 2 or 3 each day. If everyone did that, steemit would be filled with low quality posts.. And I don't want that.

https://steemit.com/steemit/@razvanelulmarin/is-steemit-a-lottery

I think that one post per day is a good rate :) I also like your stuff so there's that.

Thank you, I appreciate it :)

I do know that there's a bunch of different reasons for success on steemit and this is not about that. I might have done some major mistakes in my post, as most of the comments are about "supporting me" in one way or another. I am satisfied with the results I've had on steemit so far. But, I can't keep creating multiple post each day as I don't have that many hours to spare.

I can't write 2-3 or 4 posts per day, not when the posts take me at least an hour to write. Sometimes 2 or 3 hours. However, if I had an upward trend. If I saw that my rewards (in terms of followers and upvotes. Not money) got better, and increased. Then I would have get something out of it.. As it has been these latest days, then I could just stick with 1 post per day instead of several. I will get the same kind of reward for that too. At least, that's how it looks like.

With that being said. I will still keep doing my Photography Gems as often as I can.

My previous post was definitely the best post I've written. I even stated that in the post. The best post I have ever written.

You know what the crushing irony would be? To have it listed in a gem list that made 1000$ and you got ...5$... ahahahah...

Seriously though, even 5$ per post are better than 0$. Some don't even cross the 0$ threshold. My last week has produced <1$ (if I exclude my votes) and I think the material is between 12-15k words. Granted it is not following the "catchy" alternating format of photos/text-bold-headers etc (I'm doing it consciously), but hey... 1$? Ahahahaa... I've had a few line comments in the same period that made >3$...

(if it doesn't appear too well, right click and open it in new tab)

Well... That kind of things with Gems actually happens .. And it's terrible in my opinion. But it's still good that these gems are being created, as it can help authors to get more exposure for their posts. It's the readers fault for not upvoting the gems and only the gem-post.

And I'm aware that a bunch of people have less results than me and I'm truly satisfied with the great results I've had.. But I can't produce 2-3-4 post per day. It's too time consuming. I can't spend 2-3 hours on each article to produce great content when I don't see an upwards trend in the rewards I get.. It just doesn't work for me. That's why I'll start to create less posts. And when I think about it, I actually had greater success back when I only did a maximum of 1 post per day.

Great insights here. It's definitely an entirely different world here in Steemit land..

On one hand, when I put a TON of effort into a post and it doesn't get much engagement it makes me sad.

On the other, it motivates me to learn from what I wrote and try to improve.

The reality is, what "takes off" is a bit of a crap shoot, but I've found that if I enjoy the process of creating content even if it doesn't "succeed" I've still won in the long run.

Ideally, the posts we put the most effort into would do the best, but that's just not how the world works. A great reminder.

I like how you're celebrating your small wins as a non professional writer! It's an accomplishment that you took the time and courage to share your thoughts here so you should be very proud!

That being said, I know deep down to truly succeed with Steemit you have to show up on a consistent basis. Maybe that's not daily for you, or others, but for me that's what I deem is the par for the course.

It's kind of fun not knowing "what" will take off. It's both exciting and scary.

I'm excited to bere. Here's to hoping this post takes off. :)

Thank you. I appreciate your kind words and I agree with most of what you've said here.

This part however:

That being said, I know deep down to truly succeed with Steemit you have to show up on a consistent basis. Maybe that's not daily for you, or others, but for me that's what I deem is the par for the course.

I agree with that too. That's the reason for my posts. I've been posting every single day since I joined steemit.. The thing is, that one can't keep up to produce great quality and good posts each day for a longer period of time. Sooner of later, you'll run out of things to write about. The time that takes obviously varies from person to person, based on tons of things. Experience, writing skills or whatever. But the fact still remains. You won't be able to write 2 or 3 awesome posts for a longer period of time.. And even though that would be the best thing to do, in terms of exposure, I have to step down. I can't create multiple post each day. I don't have enough time to spend doing that. It takes too long for me to write good posts. This one took med about 2 hours.. Meanwhile other authors might have done it in less than 15 minutes. If you post multiple times per day, you'll end up with less quality content in the long run. At least if most of the cases.. And that's not something I want to see on steemit.

Thanks for the upvote & the comment. I appreciate it! :)

For sure! I think what it comes down to is self awareness. I'm a writer by craft, so I'm able to churn out a high quality post in as little as 30 mins. Sometimes, posts take me longer perhaps 3-4 hours etc.

My personal approach is to just listen to the community. What are they struggling with? What content is getting the most engagement and start there! For example, I probably have 3-4 posts in the pipeline just based on my own frustrations/learnings with Steemit thus far.

I also try to engage with the comments as much as possible which gives me inspiration for future posts.

That being said, I totally understand what you're saying. Not everyone is going to make a living, or even a sizable amount of money on Steemit, and that's perfeclty okay.

We all come here for different reasons and it's important we stay true to or goals so to speak.

While I know you're going to be posting less frequently moving forward, I genuinely enjoy your posts.

Thank you once again. I truly appreciate your kind words and I agree with what you've said here. However, I wouldn't go with "what others are struggling with" myself. I would keep doing what I do best. I focus on my thing. With that being said.. You might just be on to something, and it's possibly the best approach.

I wish you the best of luck! :)

I liked it!

Writing good content is not all to make more and more people like the autor. It's not only about writing but communicate. You could increase your followers by doing some kind of communication with others. Steemit is a social. Comments are connections, quottes with references to the autors also ... etc. Even bots don't create famous writers. They are going to the famous writers ... and doing some kind of support.

Good advice. Thanks for sharing.

Consistency is important and also great content which can atractive to usres ,every post should get upvotes /comments to get success in #steemit .

You are correct. Consistency and good content is crucial for success. Timing & Luck are also key factors.

@pierce-the-veil: Thanks for sharing @hitmeasap.
This post definitely highlights your pain, and it is a pain that i share with you.
There are a lot of users who feel the same way.

Just take a look at my average post recognition @pierce-the-veil, shameful compared to quality of posts.
commercial photography locations

I also shared similar concerns in a post called "Whale Ho-The Slippery Facebook Slope" Link Here: https://steemit.com/steemit/@pierce-the-veil/whale-ho-the-slippery-facebook-slope

NOT TO WORRY @hitmeasap, I would love to have you join our weekly "Graveyard Edition" where we revive and bring old posts to the forefront of steemit awareness. Find that link here: https://steemit.com/money/@pierce-the-veil/bring-out-yer-dead-a-steemit-graveyard-edition

^ This is still open until Friday night when we decide on the top three best "dead posts"

I got your back bro. Upvote is pending (i've used up my minnow voting weight apparently)
@pierce-the-veil

Hi @hitmeasap, thanks for the good read. I wondered if (when?) a keyword research tool becomes available to Steemit a sort of half way point would be met here. With that tool articles could be made to relate to content that people want information on but can't find (or is of low quality) and hence authors could tailor their articles to known need (hence have an increased revenue potential). But this then doesn't discourage 'passion' posts that aren't targeted but of more of direct interest to the author itself.

hang in there man!

Thank you, but this isn't about me giving up. I would never give up on steemit. This is basically just a post about me skipping a few post every now and then. And the reasons for my decision.

Keep creating and curating, and the rewards will follow. :)

Yeah, I agree with you.

@hitmeasap good post. You shared what 1,000s of us are going through. Good news is this post got you into a daily gem so that should hopefully help with exposure. It's how I found you.

Quality of content without positive re-enforcement will suffer as you stated. Bottom line is upvotes = a pat on the back. Regardless of what anyone says, we all feel good or get motivated by a pat on the back. By someone saying good job.

I made light of this by creating a post called The Minnow King. It was a funny competition on who could have the most upvotes and make 0.00 on it. My record is 24 upvotes....sadly that post did not get much action and the closest challenger was 9 upvotes! haha. So I hold the crown of the minnow king.

Someone needs to come take my crown!

Thank you. That's cool! Which gem was it? :)

Daily Diamonds From Authors Worth To Learn From #4 - posted by @asuran about an hour ago. I follow him so see these. Hoping to make one of them soon enough! :-)

Thank you for sharing. That's awesome :)

Amongst the 65k+ people in this network, your rank in terms of posting rewards is #376 (see steemwhales). And this you achieved in how many weeks? I think your doing pretty well.

I've been here for a bit more than 4 weeks.. So yeah, that's awesome indeed! - I wasn't aware of that so thanks for sharing.

I think you are doing fine, I have the same thing, but you just need to keep going and commenting on other peoples stuff :)